Q1: How can we have other STEAM programs at Rosemary Elementary (science, music)?
A1: All sites convene Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) stakeholder input meetings as a requirement for receiving Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) dollars. The staff and community stakeholders can identify additional STEAM opportunities for the students of the school.
Q2: GATE: are the programs in place? If so what grade if so at what grade level do they begin?
A2: Our district assesses each third grader to determine if the student will be identified as GATE. We have convened a GATE advisory committee this year with the goal of providing instruction and activities to support our identified GATE student population.
Q3: How could the District Office (DO) provide free after school enrichment programs for Sherman Oaks community?
A3: The district office continuously seeks opportunities to support our afterschool programs at all sites. The district subsidizes many of our school programs in an effort to support our students and family needs and provide greater access to more families.
Q4: The after school STEAM program (including our school plays) continue prohibitive for many students. How can these programs be offered as part of our normal (free) school day?
A4: See above response.
Q5: The majority of students at Sherman Oaks come from lower-income families. However, the afterschool STEAM program costs $120.00, impossible for most of those families. Isn’t this inequitable?
A5: The district provides common STEAM activities as a standard expectation for our students regardless of the economic status. Schools may decide to increase STEAM activities during and after school using the various site funding sources.
Q6: Is the school PTA responsible for raising funds for field trips for the student at that school? If so how is this equitable when the families at some schools are very wealthy and families at other schools are struggling to pay rent?
A6: Each school has a variety of funding sources available to fund student activities. Some sites have the ability to raise significant funds for student activities while others receive significant funds as a result of California’s LCFF monies. We encourage you to participate in school and district Local Control & Accountability Plan (LCAP) meetings, where we gather input from the community about priorities for how we use funds for educating students. More on the LCAP page.
Q7: Do we track the success of the students from each of our schools when they get to high school and beyond? Do we factor out parental income as a cause of success so that we can really judge the success of the district in educating our students?
A7: Starting this year, we will track our students who go on to attend schools in the Campbell High School District. Parent income and education are among the factors we consider when reviewing student success.
Q8: What are the construction plans for CMS, and how/what will these be discussed the neighbors and neighborhood?
A8: We will begin our CMS transformation plan development in November. There will be communication sent to all stakeholders, and there will be representation from the neighborhood on the team. More on the transformation page.
Q9: Shout out to CMS MESA program, which is STEAM in action and in partnership with SJSU!
A9: Yes!
Q10: As the teachers assess students more doesn’t it take time away from teaching/learning time? If so, has this been addressed in ways not to detract from the lesson plan?
A10: Assessment results are used to inform our instructional program. We have become more mindful of the number of assessments and the time for assessments within the school day. We are making a purposeful effort to ensure that assessments administered are needed in light of the State’s recently completed assessment program.
Q11: What do you think is the reason for the “dip” in 7th grade math?
A11: We are conducting a complete analysis of our 7th grade scores. It should be noted the 7th grade dip is consistent with the Santa Clara County school districts’ results.